romptness. Now just let the
limb lay natural till I remove the shoe."

Me an' the Kid started to break for the foothills, but he set me to
makin' bandages, an' sent the Kid after some more water. We was losin'
our age fast, an' Bill's voice sounded like grandpa's. He said it was a
corkin' bad sprain, but he tied it up an' wet down the bandages; an'
then he sent me to headquarters after the spring-wagon, an' the Kid to
Danders for the doctor.

We both got back before daylight, an' by that time Bill an' the girl
had come to a purty harmonious agreement concernin' the proper standin'
of a brindle bull-terrier. When I came in he was holdin' the lady's
hand--an' I was the only one what reddened up.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BARBIE MAKES A DISCOVERY

Jessamie, that was Miss Johnston's real name, had been ridin' one o'
the Colonel's high-breds, an' again orders at that; but the Colonel was
purty comfortable like at the upshot. Bill was fitted out with a
pedigree an 'a bank account what made him a parlor guest purty much
everywhere he went, an' on top o' that it tickled the Colonel a heap to
have things ironed out by the bull pup himself.

I didn't much suppose when I see that sorrowful pup pikin' back the
track that he was doomed to achieve prominence an' fame, but Fate had
him entered on her book all right, an' he made so everlastin' good that
it wouldn't have surprised me a mite if they'd have run him for
Governor.

You just bet your life the other feller never got him again! Why they'd
'a' had to bring the whole standin' army to filch that dog away from
Bill after the big doin's. Out here in Wyoming it's a test of
class--owners of one of Cupid's pups are first-class, others belong to
the herd.

It was two weeks after the accident that us four--countin' Kid
Porter--was sittin' in exactly the same place back of the shack; only
this time, Bill was pullin' the pup's ears. Bill hadn't spent overly
much time with us the last fortnight, an' we were talkin' it all over,
when hanged if we didn't hear the thud of hoofs again, an' I reckon we
all turned blue.

Cupid himself appeared a shade disgusted at the prospect of an encore.
He had only just shed his bandages, an' the flap on his lid was still
too tender to scratch, so that you can't hardly blame him for takin'
the narrow view of it. We jumped around the corner of the house, but
the' was two riders this time, an' while they was spinnin' along at a
purty merry clip,